Questions from a beginner lead

[tangoing]

I'm someone in his early 30s that began tango roughly half a year ago in a city with a pretty large tango scene. I'm dancing (mostly classes/practicas) about 4-5 times a week right now and it's been quite a challenge. So I have two questions thats been on my mind.

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

Also, I have a dilemma with choosing instructors. The instructors that I like that I feel teach very well, the students that take those classes are mostly comprised of older women (50+) years old and/or also a gender imbalanced skewed toward the leads. I'm not dancing to meet a romantic partner (in fact I think most other partner dances are way better for that than tango), but I do enjoy dancing with more athletic/mobile follows and that generally skews towards the younger side. Also I heard one of the best ways to get better as a dancer is to get a consistent practice partner, and that partner usually should be someone you'd like to hang out with (in not just tango settings) as well, so thats a bit tough to find with a crowd thats double my age.

Whereas the classes that have younger students that are around my age, well I feel the instructors aren't as good, and they give less personal feedback since the classes are larger, but I do have a better chance of finding a practice partner at these classes.

These classes are also on conflicting days so I can't take both. What do you all suggest?

 

[Mladenac]

What kind of personal feedback so you get?

 

[itwillhappen]

Is there a reason why you do not strive to meet a romantic partner?

 

[itwillhappen]

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

After around two years of dancing (at milongas - classes are more or less counterproductive regarding that!). And half a year after taking privates by a teacher who really teaches the basics other talk about.
And it's a matter of self-assurance, of feeling accepted in the community. I met my romantic partner in tango and she's a quite good dancer. So I got rid of most subliminal social constraints.

 

[WhiskeyPapa]

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

I am a new lead (just over 2 years of private lessons 3-4 times a week). What you are describing is an intermediate-advanced level. I am not there yet. I would pose the question differently: “how long until you can enjoy yourself dancing at a milonga (even though you are far from perfect).” I would say 18-24 months for a lead.

The instructors that I like that I feel teach very well, the students that take those classes are mostly comprised of older women (50+) years old and/or also a gender imbalanced skewed toward the leads.

Go with the better instructor irrespective of the age of the other students. My only caveat would be if they dance worse (are unpleasant to dance with) as compared with the younger students.

FWIW I’m skeptical about the idea a Lead can learn without private lessons (lots of them) from a qualified teacher (a rare find). Group lessons introduce you to potential partners and let you check out a teacher before engaging him or her for private lessons.

 

[newbie]

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you?

One year and a half.

That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

Oh, so that's what you meant. I thought you were asking when AT became something else than a mere struggle against the whole universe: mussic, walls, follower, recordings other couples on the floor etc. That was my one year and a half.
But if that's your question, then my answer is I'm still working on it after 15 years.

 

[WhiskeyPapa]

These classes are also on conflicting days so I can't take both. What do you all suggest?

Try taking both classes.

 

[WhiskeyPapa]

Try taking both classes.

Whoops, I missed that the conflict. You could alternate them.

 

[TTanguero]

What you are describing is an intermediate-advanced level. I am not there yet. I would pose the question differently: “how long until you can enjoy yourself dancing at a milonga (even though you are far from perfect).” I would say 18-24 months for a lead.

Yeah, that first goal still feels a long way off. I definitely have to think about what I'm doing.

But I agree 100% with WP that this is the goal to have in mind for now. I got there at about the 9-month point, but I did go completely nuts over tango: 4-5 group classes every week, lots of workshops with visiting teachers, private lessons at least once a fortnight, religiously doing 20 minutes of solo practice every morning before work, listening to tango music every day, etc, etc. So a lot depends how much work you put in.

I've calmed down now, by the way. My usual weekly schedule is two group classes, two milongas and a 90-minute private once a fortnight.

 

[opendoor]

Hi tangoing, welcome to DF!

-it takes 2 years,

-have several teachers/studios at the same time: one to fill your addressbook/contacts, one for technical input, one for dancing and having "fun".

-have both, a consistent dance partner and a peer groop to replace the consistent partner. Also start early to groom the next. Loosing the current one will occur quite often.

 

[Rabbit]

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

I was able to enjoy social dancing immediately, then it took about a year to be totally comfortable / confident in milongas, then I stopped taking regular classes but never stopped learning and discovering.

Also, I have a dilemma with choosing instructors. The instructors that I like that I feel teach very well, the students that take those classes are mostly comprised of older women (50+) years old and/or also a gender imbalanced skewed toward the leads. I'm not dancing to meet a romantic partner (in fact I think most other partner dances are way better for that than tango), but I do enjoy dancing with more athletic/mobile follows and that generally skews towards the younger side.

There are many older women with great physicality, but you'll usually find them in milongas not classes.

If you enjoy dancing with the students in one class but prefer the teacher in another class, go with the students. It's a social activity and it's good to have friends that you grow together with. You can always invite them to try a different class or go to practica/milongas as a group. There are probably things you can learn from the "worse" teacher anyway, as all teachers have a slightly different focus. If you're taking 4-5 classes a week you are probably getting more instruction than you can absorb at once anyway.

 

[JournalInTime]

Welcome!

I'm someone in his early 30s that began tango roughly half a year ago in a city with a pretty large tango scene. I'm dancing (mostly classes/practicas) about 4-5 times a week right now and it's been quite a challenge.

Okay, before going any further:

I, too, live in a city with a large tango scene. We have seven studios devoted exclusively to Argentine tango, plus instructors who rent premises and teach on a regular schedule, plus the usual "We teach everything!" dance academies. We have two milongas most nights of the week, sometimes three, and prácticas all over the place. There are also afternoon events, free outdoor events (in summer . . . this is Montréal), and monthly events. And two large festivals each year, as well as a largish number of smaller festivals/marathons.

I worked for a tango studio for a few years, as a barman, general factotum, accompanier, and eventually very junior assistant. Consequently, I was on the floor for group lessons – taking them or accompanying them – for around 20 hours a week. That was on top of dancing a lot; see above for how easy that was. And thanks to contacts at the studio, I also did a lot of private lessons, at times three per week with three different teachers and two different partners.

I'll tell you right up front that such extreme immersion means you'll rapidly hit a "learning limit." My feeling is that classes and prácticas 4-5 times a week is well past that. I found that one group class, one private lesson, and one práctica a week were more than enough for learning, after which the exercise was really about network-building: meeting potential dance partners, encountering possible teachers, getting a feel for who's cool and whom to avoid, discovering the "secrets" of the community.

That latter stuff is essential – tango is a social dance. But don't go broke paying for things that push you past your learning limit. Few teachers and even fewer big studios will be honest with you about that; after all, it's a business for them.

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

I started dancing at the milonga after about one year. I changed from "step-think-step-think-step-oh God!-freeze-step" to a fluid dance after about two years; that's when I actually began to enjoy dancing at the milonga. My quest to improve continues as I approach seven years.

The instructors that I like that I feel teach very well, the students that take those classes are mostly comprised of older women (50+) years old and/or also a gender imbalanced skewed toward the leads.

Tango is a fairly "gray" activity. I'm 52 and the tangueras at two of my regular weekly events call me "young man." My girlfriend works at a nonprofit that provides companionship to the elderly, in which context she sometimes sees women I dance with. So to be honest, learning to dance with one of the larger demographics in tango isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Skewed toward leaders is another matter. Unless you plan to learn both roles, you'll find such classes less than useful; that right there would encourage me to look elsewhere. If nothing else, you're unlikely to meet potential dance partners there.

(Around here, all classes are skewed toward followers. That's why I had what amounted to a second job as an accompanier. If you can find a school like that, you'll be in demand and you'll get a lot of "free" instruction accompanying paying followers who are doing classes you've already completed.)

I heard one of the best ways to get better as a dancer is to get a consistent practice partner, and that partner usually should be someone you'd like to hang out with (in not just tango settings) as well

Yes to the first, no to the second. Having a regular practice partner is essential to rapid advancement, if that's your goal. But there's no need for that partner to be someone you'd like to hang out with, unless you're also seeking a romantic partner. Plenty of people say "Hello!" at the start of the class, práctica, or milonga; spend most of their time together; and say "Goodbye!" at the end – I've known dance couples who've done this for five or six years.

I do have a better chance of finding a practice partner at these classes.

Then go there. The #1 question I got when working for the tango studio wasn't "How much do the classes cost?", "When are the classes?", "How do I dance this step?", "Who's the instructor?", or anything like that. It was "How can I find a practice partner?" and/or "Can the studio provide me with a practice partner?" And when I was an accompanier, it was "Are you available to be my practice partner outside of classes?" It's a huge deal, so if you even think one place is better than another for finding a practice partner, go there.

For actually learning tango, private lessons are infinitely better than group classes anyway. You can do your group classes at the place that has lots of people who might become your practice partner and/or regular followers at the milonga, and hire a private instructor from the place where you like the teaching better. Best of both worlds.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

Also, I have a dilemma with choosing instructors. The instructors that I like that I feel teach very well, the students that take those classes are mostly comprised of older women (50+) years old and/or also a gender imbalanced skewed toward the leads. I'm not dancing to meet a romantic partner (in fact I think most other partner dances are way better for that than tango), but I do enjoy dancing with more athletic/mobile follows and that generally skews towards the younger side. Also I heard one of the best ways to get better as a dancer is to get a consistent practice partner, and that partner usually should be someone you'd like to hang out with (in not just tango settings) as well, so thats a bit tough to find with a crowd thats double my age.

In my case, it took several years, four, five before it "clicked." And there's always something to learn.

As for the classes. Depends. Can you find a practice partner about your age (could be a bit younger or a bit older) with whom you're compatible? You could practice together and maybe take the class with the instructors you like and do it together. Some 50+ women are terrific dancers. Don't automatically write them off. If they're beginners, however, that's a different matter.

 

[Brummbaer]

How long until you leads felt that tango finally "clicked" for you? That you could just stop thinking about your next move and enjoy the dance since the movements all made sense and became somewhat second nature?

For me, leading AT clicked after about 6 weeks - but that was after years in another dance background. I'm aware of others where it hasn't clicked after 4 years.

Stopping thinking about the next move, in the sense of OMG, what do I do now, takes 18m to 2 years.

I'm dancing (mostly classes/practicas) about 4-5 times a week right now and it's been quite a challenge. So I have two questions thats been on my mind.

That sounds high if it's learning classes only; practicas vary from another lesson to an informal milonga for practice. If it's practice to embed the lesson, fine, but it'seems difficult to embed new stuff without practice time.

 

[opendoor]

..That sounds high..

I started after divorce and was out 7 nights a week. Today I wonder how I did not need any sleep that days